


Make the Season Bright

by apatternedfever



Series: One Girl Revolution [the Michelle Westen verse] [2]
Category: Burn Notice
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Gen, Michelle Westen, Natalie Westen, Rule 63, implied abusive family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-20
Updated: 2013-06-20
Packaged: 2017-12-15 14:39:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/850703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apatternedfever/pseuds/apatternedfever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Westen sisters celebrate Christmas Eve.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Make the Season Bright

After Dad passes out, and after Mom gives up on a happy family holiday and starts drinking, Michelle hefts Nat up into her arms and brings her outside. It's two in the morning, long after most seven-year-old kids have gone to bed to dream of Santa Claus, but that's a story they both gave up on almost as soon as they learned it. There may be presents this year, but that's not always true; and anyway, Dad isn't good at being quiet, and they've both woken up to see him putting the gifts under the tree before.

They don't listen for sleigh bells or watch for Rudolph's red nose, but they leave the smell of booze and Mom's drunken mutterings behind for a little while. They look out at the city that's never really quiet, and up at the sky, dreaming of somewhere better than this.

There's a flash across the sky, and then Nat jabs a finger up. "A shooting star!" she cries, more awake than she'd been a minute ago.

"I saw. Did you make a wish?" Michelle asks, bouncing her sister a little on her hip.

She nods. "Did you?" Nat asks, settling her head down on Michelle's shoulder again.

And she can't say that she stopped making wishes years ago to her little sister, not if she still wants Nat to have hope. So she smiles instead. "Of course."


End file.
